Making compost

Compost is just rotted organic matter. And making compost is the best way to recycle anything that was once living. In a home garden, the ideal ingredients for a compost heap are leaves, straw, lawn clippings and vegetable scraps. Another important ingredient is patience because good compost takes time! Every gardener has his or her favourite compost recipe. Here’s a simple one to at home or in your school garden.

AUTUMN COMPOST RECIPE Collect approximately:

6 barrow loads of ‘dry ingredients’ (such as autumn leaves or straw)

2 barrow loads of ‘wet ingredients’ (such as fresh lawn clippings and kitchen scraps)

Optional extras: animal manure (e.g. sheep poo), seaweed, blood and bone fertiliser or Yates Compost Maker

1 Mark out a patch of ground about 1 meter diameter.

2 Cover it with a layer of dry ingredients about 30cm high.

3 Add a layer of wet ingredients about 10cm thick.

4 Sprinkle over some Compost Maker, blood and bone or a layer of animal manure.

5 Repeat these layers until you run out of ingredients, finishing with a layer of dry ingredients.

6 Water your heap with the hose and cover it with weed matting, an old carpet or tarpaulin to protect it from wild weather.

7 After three to five days the compost heap will have started to shrink in size. Push a spade or metal pipe into the centre of the heap and remove it after a few minutes. It should feel warm (or hot!) to touch. This is proof that the microbes are busy at work, turning your pile of organic matter into beautiful rich compost for your garden.

8 By spring your compost will be ready to use.